SUSPENSION: NFL Veteran defensive end with the Georgia Bulldogs suspended for breaking the…..
The Georgia transfer can play all five offensive line positions — maybe some jumbo tight end, too — and already has Mack Brown making a favorable comparison.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Offensive lineman Austin Blaske is a new arrival on the North Carolina football team, but he quickly has made a positive impression among the Tar Heels.
Coach Mack Brown already is comparing the Georgia transfer Blaske’s leadership qualities to the invaluable traits possessed by former UNC offensive lineman Corey Gaynor, the previous starter at center who served as a guiding force for the Tar Heels across the last two seasons. Brown said there are times when he looks out from his office on the fourth floor at Kenan Football Center, and notices Blaske practicing snaps with new Carolina quarterback Max Johnson, the transfer portal addition by way of Texas A&M and LSU.
“Austin has been fantastic as a leader. He has fit in,” Brown said this month. “I’m really, really impressed with his attitude. He’s been such a great leader in a short term. He was helping us recruit. He was wanting to go everywhere and do everything, so I love his attitude. He’s very similar to Corey Gaynor, and what Corey brought us when he came in here with his energy and toughness from Miami.”
Blaske, a 6-foot-5, 310-pounder, has joined the Tar Heels with two seasons of college eligibility remaining. He played in 18 games during the last three seasons at powerhouse Georgia, which claimed the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoff national championships. Blaske competed with Earnest Greene III for Georgia’s starting left tackle position entering the 2023 season. Greene won the job, and injuries limited Blaske to appearances in three games.
Blaske said he consulted with Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels as he considered choosing UNC as his transfer destination. Searels worked at Carolina on Brown’s coaching staffs from 2019-21, before departing to take the same position with Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. Blaske said he was adamant with certain transfer portal pursuers about his preference to play inside at guard or center next season, rather than on the outside at tackle. He said UNC and Georgia Tech became his finalists during the transfer process.
“Honestly, before I came to visit here, I thought I was going to go to Georgia Tech,” he said. “I’m an hour away from my girlfriend in Athens, and I’m like three hours from home (Effingham County, Ga.). But then I came up here and visited, and I just fell in love with the place. I was like, ‘I think this is where I want to go.’ And I committed the next day. Actually, it was graduation. I committed the day of graduation in Athens.”
The Tar Heels are tasked with restocking and remaking their offensive line, with veterans William Barnes, Ed Montilus, Spencer Rolland and Gaynor having used up their college eligibility, and Diego Pounds having transferred to Ole Miss. Here’s more of what Blaske said when UNC introduced its new portal class …
WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU GOT IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL? AND WHAT DID YOU FIND ONCE YOU HAD ENTERED?
Austin Blaske: “Really, I was just looking for a spot that best fit me, academically and most importably, football. At this point in my career, I already have my college degree. I wanted to find a place where me and the coaches would get along. I think I can be used very well here. And just being able to show what I can do on the field, I think this is the best place for that.”
You also wanted to find a place where you can play a lot, right?
Blaske: “Absolutely, I wanted to go somewhere I was going to play, yeah.”
WHAT’S IT LIKE TALKING SHOP WITH WILLIE LAMPKIN? HE’S THE ONLY RETUNING STARTER COMING BACK ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE.
Blaske: “We’ve talked about a lot. He’s a guy in a leadership role, and I’m coming in and trying to step into a leadership role, being one of the older guys in the room. Having him there to kind of like, ‘hey, let’s go over this play, let’s do this,’ he’s kind of helped me get the playbook down easy. He’s been a big role in helping me try to step into a spot where I can help lead this team to make the playoffs this year, and hopefully win a national championship.”
HOWARD SAMPSON CAME IN AND HAD THE CONNECTION WITH COACH RANDY CLEMENTS FROM NORTH TEXAS. WHAT WAS THE CONNECTION YOU HAD HERE? WAS THERE A FAMILIAR FACE YOU KNEW?
Blaske: “My dad’s from Texas, too, and so is Coach Clem. So they kind of have similar personalities being from Texas. Texas guys, they’re distinct. It was kind of relatable from that aspect. And I like Coach Clem, he’s a straight-up guy. He’s going to tell you how it is. He’s not going to sugarcoat anything, and I appreciate that. I respect someone who’s going to tell me how it is all the time, and not just tell me what I want to hear. So I like that, too.”
DID YOU GET ANY SORT OF ADVICE OR ADVANCE SCOUTING FROM STACY SEARELS? DID YOU BOUNCE ANY IDEAS OFF HIM, OR ASK WHAT’S IT LIKE IN CHAPEL HILL?
Blaske: “There were a few times. Me and Coach Searels have a great relationship. He’s a great guy, great coach. And I asked him about Coach Clements and everything. He was like, ‘he’s a great guy, great coach.’ Hearing that from him also kind of sold me on the place. Because I was like, ‘hey, my coach I had before, he’s telling me this is a good spot.’ And that really meant something to me.”
HOW HAS YOUR HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING BACKGROUND CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR AGILITY AND YOUR ABILITY ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE?
Blaske: “It’s been a big part. Because in wrestling, it’s all about body control and balance. How you use somebody’s weight against them. And I think that a lot of people who say you shouldn’t play other sports, I think that’s not true, especially for linemen. I think you should wrestle, because it teaches you so much about your body. It teaches you how to use your weight the right way. And it’s fun, too. I went out there my freshman year and I was like, ‘hey, I’m just going to do this to stay in shape,’ and I winded up winning the state championship my senior year in high school. So I recommend that people do it if they want to be a good offensive lineman.”
Don’t know if Willie has told you, but he has a wrestling background, too.
Blaske: “Yeah, I’ve been giving him some words about it. The sport of wrestling’s a little different. We’ve actually wrestled in the locker room to see who’s better. But I’m not going to say who won.” (smiling)
YOU AND WILLIE ARE PRETTY FLEXIBLE GUYS ON THE LINE. MACK WAS SAYING YOU CAN PLAY ALL FIVE POSITIONS. IN YOUR MIND, WHERE DO YOU SEE THE TWO OF YOU ENDING UP WEEK 1?
Blaske: “I don’t know, because we both play guard and center. I’m going to be inside somewhere. That was a big thing about me coming here, because there were a lot of schools that wanted me at tackle, and I don’t want to play tackle. I think if I’m going to go to the next level, it’s going to be at guard.
“I think it’s interchangeable. We don’t know right now. We have a lot of guys who can play inside — Willie, Malik (McGowan), (Jonathan) Adorno. We have a lot of guys who can play inside, so it really doesn’t matter to me. Whichever fits the best for this team, that’s what I want to do.”
Georgia transfer Austin Blaske figures to play a key role for UNC’s remade offensive line. (Photo: Adam Smith / Inside Carolina)
WHAT KIND OF QUARTERBACK IS MAX JOHNSON? FROM WHAT YOU’VE SEEN SINCE YOU’VE BEEN HERE, AND OVER THE YEARS IN THE SEC.
Blaske: “He’s a great guy. I love Max. We actually go golfing together and stuff, hang out. We watch football games together all the time, (NFL) playoff games. … He’s a great guy. He’s very competitive. I can tell on the golf course, he hates to lose. I’m not saying he lost to me, I’m not very good at golf. But just from that, I can tell he’s going to be a great competitor on the field, and I’m very excited to have him behind us this year — or Conner (Harrell), whoever it is. I’m just excited to have him on the team.”
SO THE QUARTERBACK-OFFENSIVE LINEMAN RELATIONSHIP ALREADY HAS SPROUTED WITH MAX. TAKE US ON THE GOLF COURSE, WHAT’S GOING ON THERE? DOES HE SWING LEFTY?
Blaske: “He’s a lefty, but he plays golf righty. Which is crazy. I think. I think he plays golf righty. Pretty sure he plays righty. We’re just so intense. I’m focused on myself, my swing. I’ll ask him … (Max confirms he plays golf right-handed from across the room). I just get locked in on the game. But we’re out there playing, it’s just super competitive. If he has a bad shot, he’s getting in his own head and he’s talking to himself and getting fired up. It’s pretty funny, though. But just knowing that he’s that competitive is making it very exciting for this year, just to see what he can do on the field.”
MACK SAID YOU GUYS WERE ALREADY WORKING ON SNAPPING TOGETHER AND STUFF LIKE THAT. WHAT’S WORKING OUT TOGETHER ON YOUR OWN BEEN LIKE SINCE YOU’VE GOTTEN HERE?
Blaske: “It’s been good so far. We’ve done it a few times each week. I’ve never had to snap to a left-handed quarterback. It’s actually different, because with a right-hander, it’s like this under center (demonstrates with both hands). And then he’s like this under center (flips hands, demonstrates again). So it’s a little bit different. It’s not bad, we’re getting used to it. It’s just the pressure to where you’re trying to push up on is different, because his thumb’s in a different spot and his middle finger’s in a different spot. But doing that together is kind of building our relationship even more. With the golf, too. Golfing, snapping together, doing these workouts, and just hanging out on the weekends, it’s really bringing us closer. And I think by the time the season rolls around, we’re going to have a great relationship and be ready to go.”
DID YOU PLAY AGAINST MAX AT ALL AS HIGH SCHOOL KIDS IN GEORGIA?
Blaske: “I did not. He was 4-A with Oconee County, and were we 5-A. Well, we’re 6-A now. We were 5-A back then.
“… the chemistry, hanging out on the weekends, golfing together. Getting to know the guy that’s behind you makes a big difference. You know, ‘hey, I’ve got to protect this guy behind me. I’ve got to get the ball to him and do my assignment.’ It’s a big reason we’ve been hanging out and stuff, just so we can get to know each other. Just developing a relationship to where, ‘hey, I need to protect this guy at all costs.’ ”
MACK HAS BEEN SINGING YOUR LEADERSHIP PRAISES, THAT YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF CHARACTER. HOW DOES A GUY WHO HASN’T BEEN HERE COME IN AND TRY TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF AS A LEADER?
Blaske: “It’s a little bit different coming in as a transfer. We’re in the new era of college football, where older guys are coming in and stepping into a role where they have to be leaders. But I think there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. You don’t want to come in and say, ‘hey, I want to be the leader of this team.’ You have to earn the respect of the guys. And I think that’s what I’ve been striving for these first few weeks. Getting the guys to respect me and respect what I do, so that this year I can contribute what I need to do for us to be a winning football team.”
WHAT PLACES WERE YOUR FINALISTS IN TERMS OF A TRANSFER DESTINATION? WHAT WERE THE SCHOOLS YOU GAVE THE MOST CONSIDERATION?
Blaske: “It was really two, because a lot of schools wanted me to play tackle. They were like, ‘we don’t want you at guard, we want you to come here and play tackle.’ And I was like, ‘I just don’t like it.’ And there were SEC schools that wanted me to play tackle. ‘I’m going to be straight up with you, I’m not playing tackle.’
“But my last two honestly were here and Georgia Tech. Because they really wanted me to play inside, and they’re a decent driving distance from home. That was a big thing for me, too, so I could go see my parents and my brother and my girlfriend, also. We’ve been together for four years, so that’s a big thing for me, too.
“So it was really those last two. And then honestly, before I came to visit here, I thought I was going to go to Georgia Tech. I’m an hour away from my girlfriend in Athens, and I’m like three hours from home. But then I came up here and visited, and I just fell in love with the place. I was like, ‘I think this is where I want to go.’ And I committed the next day. Actually, it was graduation. I committed the day of graduation in Athens.”
SO YOU’RE GOING TO PLAY GUARD AND CENTER. DO YOU PLAY BOTH GUARD SPOTS?
Blaske: “I play all five (positions on the offensive line), but I’m comfortable at both. I’ve had to play both. I mean, I played guard and center this (past) year. Played a little bit of tackle this year, too. But I can play wherever they need me to play, honestly. I can play tight end, too. (laughing) I played tight end my junior year. I played tight end on goal line and if we were going for short yardage, I played tight end. I wore number 85.”
UNC WBB Notebook: Tar Heels Making Do With Short Guard Rotation
North Carolina had 10 healthy players in the lineup last week, and three of the team’s guards are sidelined.
Jeremiah Holloway
JEREMIAH HOLLOWAY
10 hrs
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The injury bug bit North Carolina once again.
Reniya Kelly did not dress in either of UNC’s two games last week, and with Paulina Paris still sidelined and Kayla McPherson out for the year with a knee injury, North Carolina only had 10 players in the lineup last week against Pitt and Wake Forest.
“It’s fascinating, but these guys are warriors,” Banghart said on Thursday. “These kids are tired. We’ll continue to work with our sports performance team. But Reniya and Paulina, I hope they’re both back soon. That would really help us at the right time.”
McPherson, Paris and Kelly were all expected to be significant contributors this season, and all three guards have made at least three starts this season alongside Deja Kelly in the backcourt.
McPherson has dealt with injury issues since arriving at UNC, but was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school. She showed flashes of that at times last season but only played in seven games this year.
Paris entered the season with the most on-court experience of the trio, averaging 20.2 minutes a game last season and scoring 6.3 points per contest. Her numbers this season are nearly identical to last year’s. Reniya Kelly, a season-opening starter, was named Miss Basketball in Alabama her senior year before committing to North Carolina.
The team has ruled Reniya Kelly and Paris as day-to-day, and Banghart said on Sunday that “there’s a chance” that those two could return to the lineup.
In their absence, the team is leaning even more on veteran guards Kelly and Lexi Donarski. Kelly played all 80 minutes of UNC’s last two games, and she’s had eight games this year in which she never subbed out. Donarski has five games this season in which she’s played every minute, including both of UNC’s overtime games.
Both players are used to high-minute totals in their respective careers, but in this recent stretch, both have been called upon even more to log heavy minutes.
For Kelly, playing on-ball at the point guard position was her primary role for the first three seasons of her career. Even this season, when the team is healthy, she runs point guard if one of the other guards isn’t on the court. Kelly is averaging 4.4 assists in the five games that Reniya Kelly has missed this season.
“With our shortened lineup now, (I’m just) really navigating the team,” Kelly said about adjusting to the injuries at guard. “Navigating one less dribble-to-kick and things like that and not getting too deep, because I think that’s where I got my (eight) turnovers mostly (on Sunday). It’s an adjustment, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
With the short guard rotation, Alyssa Ustby, the team’s leader in assists, has played more at the guard position in recent games. UNC already puts her all over the floor, and she’s spent extra time on the perimeter with the team’s injury issues.
Ustby recorded 10 assists on Thursday, the second time she’s reached that mark this season.
“Once the game started and we figured out what our starting lineup was going to be, that’s when the job switches,” Ustby said on Thursday. “One thing about our team is we have so many versatile players and a lot of girls with a very high IQ, so you can move around very seamlessly. So it wasn’t something that we had to worry about or try to plan for.”
(Photo: Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina)
Even considering UNC’s shortage of guards, the offensive execution must pick up before the remaining games.
North Carolina picked up wins against the ACC’s two lowest-ranked teams, but this week’s slate will feature rematches against N.C. State and Virginia Tech — who both sit in the top three in the conference standings. UNC’s defeats to the Wolfpack and Hokies earlier this season were close: N.C. State hung on to win by four and Virginia Tech outlasted the Tar Heels in overtime.
With four regular season games remaining, the Tar Heels are sixth in the ACC with a 9-5 conference record. They will seek to soldier through this portion of the schedule with a short rotation as they wait for Reniya Kelly and Paris to get back into the lineup.
“We’re only going to beat teams we play better than,” Banghart said. “Make less mistakes, and make more plays. Against any of them. That’s no disrespect to the opponents that we play, but people are gonna have to come beat us. And we’re gonna have to go beat them.”
Pushing Past Pitt
The Tar Heels ended their four-game losing streak with a 75-62 home victory against Pittsburgh.
Both teams endured a miserable first quarter offensively, with UNC leading Pitt 9-6 after 10 minutes. The nine points the Tar Heels scored were their fewest in the first quarter of a conference game this year.
North Carolina eventually stepped up its offensive production, thanks mostly to Donarski finding her range. The graduate senior knocked down six 3-pointers for the third time this season, making five in the second half. She ended with a game-high 20 points.
“The first one that went in was a sigh of relief, for sure,” Donarski said. “But it feels good. Those are the shots that we work on all the time. If I ever pass one up, I have almost every person on the team like, ‘No, we want you to take that shot.’ So it feels good that my teammates trust me, and I trust them.”
Three other players finished with 10 or more points. North Carolina also forced the Panthers into 24 turnovers.
Road Win at Wake Forest
Though it was far from a smooth showing, North Carolina defeated Wake Forest 58-50 on the road.
UNC shot the ball efficiently at 52.4% and won the rebounding battle 40-27, but still allowed Wake Forest to hang around. The Tar Heels’ season-high 24 turnovers led to 20 points for the Demon Deacons.
“Twenty-four turnovers, quite frankly, is too many,” Banghart said. “Too many dribbling errors, too many passing errors. Kind of holding the ball a little bit too long.”
Kelly made a 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining in the game to push the UNC lead to 14, but with the Tar Heels’ FT woes throughout the night, Wake Forest was able to continually extend the game by fouling. UNC shot 11-25 from the foul line.
The Demon Deacons got the lead down to six after a series of missed free throws and turnovers from UNC. Indya Nivar helped seal the game late by recovering her own missed free throw to eat time off the block, and the ball ended up with Kelly, who made two free throws to clinch the victory.
Ustby scored a career-high 25 points on 10-11 shooting. She also earned a double-double with the 10 rebounds she grabbed.
“I liked her attack,” Banghart said. “She faced the basket well, and they were really squeezing. They were putting a lot of attention on Deja and Lexi, so they were giving her one-on-one in the middle of the floor. Hard kid to guard one-on-one, and she didn’t doubt herself. She just kind of attacked it.”
And-One
The first points scored in UNC’s game against Wake Forest on Sunday came from an Ustby 3-pointer — her first make from distance this season.
Ustby has scaled back on her 3-point attempts this season, as she is now 1-7 on the year. She took at least 33 and made at least 10 in each of her previous three seasons.
Up Next
Feb. 22: Home vs. N.C. State, 8 p.m.
Feb. 25: At Virginia Tech, 2 p.m.
